Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources (Manon of the Spring) are a French movie duology concerning a city man and his family after they inherit a plot of land rich in resources in the French backcountry.

The first movie, Jean de Florette, involves the plotting of the farmer Ugolin and his cunning uncle CÚsar he calls Papet, as they work to subtly drive a young city man named Jean off the plot of land he has inherited from his mother, Florette.

The two films were originally conceptualized as one, also called Manon des Sources, but due to the author's dissatisfaction the story was rewritten as a novel with the addition of a prequel, called Jean de Florette. The two volumes are known together as L'Eau des collines (The Water of the Hills). From these two books, the two films were eventually made.

Both films were critically acclaimed, and were nominated for and won numerous awards, including 10 BAFTAs.

Contains examples of:

Abhorrent Admirer: In Manon of the Spring, Manon thinks this of Ugolin. The effect is only intensified once she finds out he helped plot her father's death.

Bad Samaritan: Ugolin in Jean de Florette. Under CÚsar's guidance, he feeds Jean misinformation, and provides him enough help to keep their friendship going, but not enough to actually succeed.

Big Screwed-Up Family: The Soubeyrans, according to CÚsar. The marriage of cousins to cousins saved the family wealth, but resulted in suicides and madness.

Birth/Death Juxtaposition: Twice, after a fashion. As Manon is coming out of the church after her wedding, CÚsar is going to the cemetery to visit Ugolin's grave. Later Manon gives birth and CÚsar dies shortly after.

Chekhov's Gunman: In this case, literally a gunman. The man sleeping inside the house in Jean de Florette comes forward to denounce Ugolin and CÚsar in Manon des Sources.

Confessional: Used and referred to several times in Manon of the Spring, as the village is Catholic. CÚsar suspects this is how the priest knows what he and Ugolin did — the villagers got carried away and started confessing other people's sins.

Death Seeker: CÚsar, once Ugolin kills himself. He is very successful.

Driven to Suicide: Ugolin kills himself when he realizes Manon hates him. CÚsar asks some men to help cut him down and to keep it secret, so Ugolin can have a proper burial.

Fish out of Water: Jean in Jean de Florette. The movie centers on him, an ex-tax collector from the city, trying to adapt to country farming life. He believes he can learn and succeed at anything with enough preparation. He can't.

From Bad to Worse: Jean's attempts to have a successful farm. It ends with him at the edge of sanity, then becoming impatient during a dangerous activity and getting himself killed.

Gossipy Hens: The village men, who gather around and drink while discussing farming. They are also crucial to the downfall of Jean, as CÚsar convinces them to not talk with Jean, thus not making him aware of the water spring buried on his land.

Heel Realization: Twice. In both cases they knew that they were being selfish/evil, but did not realize to what extent. First, the villagers finding out that the man they refused to help was not a stranger, but Florette's son. Second, CÚsar finding out that the man he drove insane and eventually caused to die was his son, and Manon his granddaughter.

Kissing Cousins: In Jean de Florette, CÚsar explains to Ugolin that the family line was ruined because of cousins marrying cousins. In Manon of the Spring the woman that Ugolin wants to marry, with CÚsar's support, turns out to be Ugolin's first cousin once removed.

Love Makes You Crazy: Ugolin for Manon. So crazy that he sews a ribbon of hers he found in the hills to his chest.

Meaningful Name: CÚsar is named for, well, Caesar. Fitting as he is the patriarch of both the Soubeyran family and Les Bastides Blanches in general.

My God, What Have I Done?: Rather heartbreakingly for CÚsar in Manon of the Spring. Much of CÚsar's motivation for the plot against Jean was spite, as he's the son of the woman who left CÚsar while he was fighting in the war. He only realizes the true extent of his despicable actions when Delphine tells him that Jean is his child, too — the letter Florette sent him on this topic was lost in the war.

Satellite Love Interest: The main thing we know about Bernard is that he knows about Rocks. His courting with Manon is mainly just flirty banter. In contrast, Ugolin has tremendous depth, but this doesn't make him any more desirable.

Scenery Porn: The movie was filmed in Provence, France, and has since brought many tourists to the region. Filming was planned to last long enough that the scenery would change over the course of the film as the seasons passed.

Scenery Gorn: Jean's farm in the first film when he starts to run out of water, especially his dying rabbits.

Secret Keeper: Manon, the villagers, CÚsar and Ugolin, and the old blind woman.

Twist Ending: Jean was CÚsar's son by Florette, who really did love him the whole time. Manon is CÚsar's granddaughter

The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: The general attitude towards Manon after she grows up. Jean wasn't bad looking, but because he was a hunchback, the villagers considered him ugly.

Villain Protagonist: Both Ugolin and CÚsar have pretty despicable motivations — greed and petty vengeance, respectively. And although the deaths they cause are accidental, both times they show little remorse and quickly jump to how to take advantage of the situation.

Well-Intentioned Extremist: CÚsar's actions all stem from the fact that he loves his nephew and wants him to be successful. He just goes way, way too far to make that happen.

Your Son All Along: In the first film, the protagonist wants the titular Jean to sell him his land, and plays many tricks on him to pursuade him to do so. It doesn't help that Jean is the son of his childhood sweetheart Florette, who left him and married another man while he was away at war. In the end, he successfully drives Jean to his death and takes the land. In the second film Jean's daughter, Manon, takes revenge for her father's death. It is only at the end of this film that the main character discovers that, contrary to what he thought, Jean was not Florette's son by her husband, but his own son, and that he has unwittingly caused the death of his only child and been in conflict with his granddaughter!

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